DR1 Travel News - 21 March 2017

Golf Channel is covering the AM Tour RD
The NBC Golf Channel AM Tour RD TV programming is helping to position the Dominican Republic as the prime golf destination in the Caribbean and Central America. These are seven tournaments where golf players of all ages and skill levels participate in what is described as an authentic PGA-style tour quality experience.

The tour stops are at some of the best golf courses in the country. The Golf Channel is covering the events for global audiences. Felix Olivo is the director of the GC Am Tour RD.

The GC Am Tour RD kick off was on 11 February 2017, at La Estancia in La Romana. The next stop is set for 25 March at Iberostate Golf Course in the Bávaro stretch of Punta Cana. Players will next meet on 29 April at Dye Fore Golf Course in Casa de Campo, La Romana.

The tournament then returns to Punta Cana for play on 27 May at the Punta Blanca Golf Course, and on 24 June at Barceló Bávaro Beach’s The Lakes Golf Course. It will return to La Romana for a tour stop on 29 July at Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo. The grand finale will be a two-day tournament at La Cana-Los Corales in Puntacana Resort & Club on 25-26 August, respectively.

More Polish tourists coming to Punta Cana
While heading the Dominican delegation to the ITB Travel Exhibition in Germany, Deputy Minister of Tourism Fausto Fernández announced during a press conference in Berlin a noticeable increase in demand for Dominican vacations by the Polish tourists.

He said that the Polish tour operator Rainbow has scheduled 15 flights from Warsaw to Punta Cana starting 17 November 2017 through March 2018. These flights will be on Lot Polish Airlines.

Itaka and TUI are other tour operators that operate flights from Poland. Petra Cruz, director of the Dominican Republic Tourism Promotion Office in Germany, said during the press conference that Poland is a growing source market for Dominican tourism. She said travel from Poland was up 107% in 2016, for 23,728 tourists traveling mostly from Warsaw to Punta Cana. In 2015, 13,969 tourists came from Poland. In 2014, the number was 12,357.

Swiss travel increases
In a press conference at ITB, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Fausto Fernández, announced that Edelweiss Air of Switzerland, will be adding a third frequency to its twice a week schedule starting May 2018. Official statistics show that Swiss direct arrivals to the Dominican Republic was 23,625 in 2015, and up to 28,333 in 2016.

More flights expected to DR after signing of aviation agreements
Expect new flights from Nicaragua, Jamaica, Singapore, Czech Republic, Kuwait, New Zealand, Guyana, Israel, Denmark, Norway and Sweden to the Dominican Republic. Local aviation authorities recently signed new aviation agreements opening up local skies to airlines from these countries. The Dominican Republic has been very successful in attracting tourism, foreign investment and trade with its decades long policy of open skies.

The president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), Luis Ernesto Camilo said the future looks bright for new international airlines to open new markets from European countries and other continents.